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The World Bank this week issued a statement saying that increasing food prices have driven an estimated 44 million people into poverty in low- and middle-income countries since June 2010. This staggering increase in global poverty levels has serious economic, social, and political implications. Many experts and media outlets worldwide have linked rising food prices to riots in Algeria, the ousting of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in Tunisia, and the recent riots in Egypt which led to the historic resignation of President Hosni Mubarak.

With a growing global population putting increasing stress on agricultural productivity, there is a clear need for new policies and tools to meet this rising food demand. Promoting improvements in policies, institutions, and markets to generate agricultural growth will be crucial to stimulate productivity and improve the welfare of poor and disadvantaged populations worldwide.

IFPRI is at the forefront of efforts to increase agricultural productivity through research and capacity-building.

The World Bank has released its Food Price Watch for February, citing estimates that suggest an additional 44 million people may have fallen into poverty in low- and middle-income
countries due to the rise in food prices since June 2010. The overall global rise in food prices has been driven by increases in the prices of wheat, maize, sugar, and fats and oils. (Track the rise in global commodities prices and futures prices with agricultural commodities tools )

The USDA Economic Research Service has released its February 2011 reports for wheat, rice, and soybean outlooks. These reports can help inform policy makers of important current issues involving food security, farming, natural resources, and global markets.

Download the February reports below. For more information regarding the USDA ERS reports, visit http://www.ers.usda.gov/

Files:

Corn_Feb_2011.pdf
Oil_Crops_Feb_2011.pdf
Rice_Feb_2011.pdf
Wheat_Feb_2011.pdf

Climate change poses both challenges and opportunities for sustainable agricultural growth, particularly in the developing world. As was witnessed during the 2010 droughts in Russia and floods in Pakistan, major climatic events can have significant negative impacts on agricultural markets, forcing global food prices higher and threatening the world’s food security.

As climate change continues to present new constraints to traditional agriculture, appropriate responses will require complementary policies at the farm-, country-, and global levels.